Mountain View Public Library

I remember, don’t I?

2011-11-21T15:20:00.001-08:00

Two first novels dealing with different aspects of memorymade for great reading this past month. Imagine what your life would be like if you had no memory ofthe past. Christine in Before I go to sleep puts it succinctly:

"Another day was ending. SoonI will sleep and my brain will begin to delete everything. Tomorrow I will go through it all again."

The doctor who is working with Christine to retrieve hermemories urges her to keep a journal, one that she decides to hide from her husband Ben. The doctor calls her everyday to remind herwhere the journal is. She adds to thejournal faithfully. She does recall somethings: she published a successful novel; she and Ben had a son, Adam; she hada best friend, Claire. Why doesn’t Bentalk about these things? Why is he sosure she can never be better? Author S.J. Watson builds up the tension to achilling conclusion as Christine discovers the truth.

In Turn of mind, Dr.Jennifer White’s world is falling apart. Jennifer is recently widowed, newly diagnosed with dementia and livingwith a caretaker; her illness has forced her to retire from a successfulorthopedic practice. When best friendAmanda is found murdered (with four fingers missing), Jennifer becomes a personof interest to the police. Did Jennifer kill Amanda? If she didn’t, whodid? Jennifer’s children Mark and Fionahave their own agendas as she deteriorates further and the police search foranswers. Author Alice LaPlante does a superb job in depicting Alzheimer’s andthe family tragedy that ensues. Her prose is literate but engaging; this ismore than just a thriller.

Veteran’s Day 11.11.11

2011-11-09T11:34:00.000-08:00

Friday is Veteran’s Day. World War I started almost a hundred years ago: for backgroundinformation on its causes, there is no better source than Barbara Tuchman’s Guns of August, written in 1962. It won the Pulitzer Prize and cemented herreputation as a popular historian. Manyof the combatants were still alive in 1962; almost 50 years on, I’m not surethere are any survivors.

Survivors’stories do live on in Beauty and the Sorrow: An Intimate History of the First World War, a compilation of 20 personalaccounts of the war across all occupations and nationalities. Infantrymen,nurses, civilians and schoolchildren recorded their experiences and authorPeter Englund paraphrased or quoted them directly from letters, diaries andmemoirs. Initial enthusiasm for the wargave way to shock, bitterness and exhaustion as the war dragged on with noclear winners.

If you would prefer a visual history, the Library has manyexcellent DVDs: First World War, Great War, Last day of World War I, WorldWar I: American Legacy and World War I in Color. We have outstandingfeature films dealing with the war as well: All Quiet on the Western Front, Gallipoli, King and Country and Paths of Glory all depict the futilityof war. Two French films, Life and Nothing But and Very Long Engagement demonstrate the toll taken on those left to mourn.

Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet

2011-10-31T10:36:00.000-07:00

This year’s Mountain View Reads Together book choiceis Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet, the most recentbook by environmental writer Bill McKibben. The author describes a drasticallychanged planet he calls “Eaarth,” yet also offers hope via new ways of living.McKibben is the founder of the grassroots group 350.org, dedicated to solvingclimate change.

Mountain View Reads Together, currently in its sixth year, is a projectthat creates a shared community experience by offering a series of eventsrelated to one book. All of Mountain View is encouraged to read or listen to the chosenbook, and participate in related events.

A series of free activities that arerelated to the themes of the book will be offered throughout November. For more information visit mvreads.org or www.mountainview.gov/library.

October31st is the deadline for the art contest. Create a work of art in any medium,suggested by the themes of the book http://www.mvreads.org/files/ArtContestRules.pdf

Butterfly's Child

2011-10-28T16:35:00.000-07:00

Opera fan? Puccini fan? Madame Butterflyfan? Ever wonder what happened to Butterfly and Pinkerton’s son,Benji? “Butterfly’s Child” by Angela Davis-Garner follows his life back in the United States, possibly not quite as youimagined it. The book is available in the What's New Fiction Section.

Indulge yourself by first watching the Madama Butterfly DVD (DVD 782.1 MADAMAPUCCINI, 1^st floor)

Walter Issacson on Steve Jobs

2011-10-25T13:34:00.000-07:00

The 60 minutes interview with author Walter Isaacson earlier this weekhighlighted several things about Steve Jobs that I either never knew or hadforgotten. Jobs was adopted; he wasraised in Mountain View and attended local schools. When he met his birth mother in later life,she told him that he had a sister, the novelist Mona Simpson. (Jobs chose not to ever meet his birthfather, a man of Syrian descent who owned a restaurant in Silicon Valley.)

He was a brilliant visionary inbusiness, but a tough competitor and a frequently ruthless employer; Isaacsonprovided several anecdotes to support this. Isaacson spoke of him having an alternate reality, which benefited himin his pursuit of Zen-like product perfection. Unfortunately, his reliance on this “reality distortion field” and hisreluctance to follow the advice of medical professionals when he was firstdiagnosed with pancreatic cancer may have shortened his life.

I saw Steve Jobs once in arestaurant at Stanford with one of his children, dressed in the signature blackturtleneck and jeans. He looked just like anybody else, but Isaacson’s biography makes it clear that hewasn’t just another guy. The full TVinterview is available on the internet; if that whets your appetite for more,the Library has multiple copies of the book-SteveJobs: a biography.

Thoughts on a Pulitzer Prize winner

2011-10-14T14:33:00.000-07:00

Emperor of allmaladies: a biography of cancer is this year’s Pulizter Prize winner. SiddharthaMukherjee’s background is oncology; he writes as a scientist but details hisown experiences as a clinician.

Tracing humanity’s long struggle with cancer over thousandsof years, he makes very clear that cancer is not one disease but many. He describes the successes and failures of scienceand technology in treating cancer, giving credit to many researchers wholabored without success or acknowledgement but never gave up. His tales ofpatients surviving and sometimes dying are heartbreaking.

On his patient Germaine Berne, strugglingwith a rare gastrointestinal tumor:

"Germaine had fought cancerobsessively, cannily, desperately, fiercely, madly, brilliantly and zealously…Shehad deployed every morsel of energy to the quest, mobilizing and remobilizingthe last dregs of her courage…until, that final evening, she had stared intothe vault of her resourcefulness and found it empty."

This is a dense book but beautifully written. He talks of cancer cells “sullenly” makinganother approach in the body when they are blocked by chemotherapy. His interview with one of the few survivorsof an early chemotherapy (1960’s) for leukemia really stayed with me long afterI finished the book:

“I feel as if I slippedthrough… I don’t know why I deserved the illness in the first place, but then Idon’t know why I deserved to be cured. Leukemia is like that. It mystifiesyou. It changes your life.”

Here is an author who writes well about something peopledon’t even want to think about, let alone read-and then makes you want to readmore. This is great nonfiction.

Free Computer Classes!

2011-10-13T15:24:00.000-07:00

Join us for any or all of these upcoming classes on Internet searching, social networking for job seekers & professionals, Craigslist, Google tools, and more. The next class is tonight at 6:45pm. Registration is requested. Visit our web site for more information.

Free Internet Class

2011-09-20T09:56:00.000-07:00

You have your library card, you want to use the computers at the library. Now what? This class will give you an overview of using the computers at the library, tips on printing, saving information, accessing application programs. Join us on Saturday, September 24^th, 10:30–11:30 am. in the 2nd floor Training Center. Register online. To get full use of this class please bring earphones and a USB drive.

Big History: an Introduction to (Nearly) Everything

2011-09-14T08:22:00.000-07:00

The Mountain View Public Library will host a free 8-part program entitled “Big History: an Introduction to (Nearly) Everything,” based on the innovative course developed by historian David Christian.

The Big History project offers a “big picture” of events from the Big Bang to evolution to modern human history. The course integrates the history of the cosmos, Earth, life, and humanity. There is even an association devoted to this project.

The Big History Project was started by Bill Gates and David Christian to enable the global teaching of big history. Big history is the attempt to understand, in a unified way, the history of Cosmos, Earth, Life and Humanity. The Big History Project was launched at the 2011 TED conference at Long Beach, California on March 2nd, 2011.

John Hostettler, professor of chemistry, SJSU, will lead the series of 8 presentations, using DVDs from The Teaching Company's course, taught by Christian himself. The program will take place Mondays from 7:00 – 8:30 pm, from October 3 through November 21. All sessions will meet in the Library’s Community Room. To register for the series please call the Library’s Information Desk at (650) 903-6337.

State of Wonder

2011-09-12T09:04:00.000-07:00

A pharmaceutical company has been sponsoring reasearch on fertility in the Amazon jungle, but the primary researcher is reclusive and hasn't been sharing information. Staff members are sent there to find out what's going on, and it's a life-changing experience for all involved. The story line is reminiscent of Michael Crichton or Robin Cook, but the writing is more about the characters than page-turning mystery and suspense.

ADULT FICTION - by Ann Patchett

The Road to Reading

2011-09-12T08:50:00.000-07:00

This week starts the fall session of The Road to Reading, our series of child development classes, divided by age groups. Most are registered programs, but kids 0-2 and their parents/caregivers can drop-in on Friday mornings starting September 16th at 10:15am or 11:00am. Sharon leads the group in musical stories, rhymes, and lapjogs. Registered programs fill quickly, so if you don't get in this time you can sign up in January. For more information visit our web site.

Mango Languages is here!

2011-08-15T16:23:00.000-07:00

Did you know that we now offer a fun, fast and easy language learning program called Mango Languages? It is free of charge to all Mountain View Library card holders and is the easiest and most effective way to learn to speak a foreign language or to learn English as a Second Language. Mango is available in two versions:

Mango Basic:

Perfect for a foreign language beginner, Mango Basic teaches everyday greetings, goodbyes, and other helpful phrases in a short period of time. The courses, which require only two to five hours of time to complete, are currently available in 34 foreign languages and 15 English as a Second Language (ESL) courses.

Mango Complete:

Mango Complete offers a 100-lesson course that digs much deeper and is designed to provide a more complete understanding of the entier language and culture. It is available in 31 foreign language and 14 ESL courses. Foreign language courses include Chinese, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and many more. ESL courses include Polish, Spanish, and Portuguese.

To learn more about Mango and view a short preview of what the program has to offer, visit our web page: http://www.mountainview.gov/city_hall/library/mango_languages.asp

July 4th Holiday

2011-07-01T16:31:00.000-07:00

The Library will be CLOSED for this holiday on

Sunday, July 3rd & Monday, July 4th.

June is Audiobook Month

2011-06-07T10:24:00.000-07:00

MVPL has a growing-and very popular collection, covering every genre. Give a listen to some of our most recent additions, both new and classic. You can choose from T.C. Boyle’s When the killing’s done (Animal rights activism plays out on the Channel Islands.); Andre Debus’ Townie (A son’s memoir of growing up without his famous father-devastating consequences teach resilience but it’s a hard road.); Henning Mankell’s Troubled man (This promises to be Kurt Wallander’s last case.); Megan O’Rourke’s Long goodbye (A daughter recounts her mother’s last illness in heartbreaking detail.); or try Oscar Wilde’s Importance of being earnest (L.A. Theatre Works does a great job with this tale of romantic complications.)

Memorial Day Holiday

2011-05-11T11:02:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day Holiday -

The Library will be CLOSED for this holiday on:

Sunday, May 29 & Monday, May 30

We will reopen for regular hours on Tuesday, May 31.

Library of Congress launches National Jukebox

2011-05-10T23:29:00.000-07:00

The Library of Congress has just launched a streaming music collection of historical sound recordings that is free of charge. The collection includes classical, blues, ragtime, traditional country, yodeling and much more. Explore songs from the past and build a playlist of your favorite songs.

Visit http://www.loc.gov/jukebox/ to start listening.

Mother Goose & More - New Class Added!

2011-04-16T10:55:00.000-07:00

Mother Goose & More -

Come and enjoy a free drop-in storytime with books, lap bounces, nursery rhymes and music for children birth - 24 months old.

April 1 - May 27, Fridays,10:30 - 11:00am, and 11:00 - 11:30am

The Pursuit of Perfect

2011-04-04T11:40:00.000-07:00

The Pursuit of Perfect - how to stop chasing perfection and start living a richer, happier life

A Harvard professor argues that people are unhappy because they're caught in the Myth of Perfection - a dangerous trend fueling society's obsession with having it all. Ben-Shahar believes people need to be more realistic in their goals, and "The Pursuit of Perfect" shows them how.

ADULT NON-FICTION - by Tal Ben-Shahar

Your Job Search

2011-02-07T08:43:00.000-08:00

Your Job Search - Free Job Workshops

Are you looking for a job or planning a career change? Join the professionals from NOVA, a comprehensive non-profit center for job seekers, for these free workshops.

Building Connections for Your Job Search

The Importance of Branding

Search Tips for Mature Workers

More info...

Parenting Programs - 2011

2011-02-03T08:19:00.000-08:00

Free Parenting Programs -

Free parenting programs are offered on Thursday evenings from 7:00pm - 8:30pm. Sign up is online, and registration for each class will begin 3 weeks prior to the event.

Exploring Child Anger		February 24
Sibling Rivalry		March 24
Parental Anger		April 28
Discipline for the Young Child		May 26
Potty Training		September 29
Raising a Bilingual Child		October 20
Your Only Child		November 17

These programs are sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

Dress Codes: of Three Girlhoods

2011-01-26T16:32:00.000-08:00

Dress Codes: of Three Girlhoods -- my mother's, my father's, and mine

Throughout her childhood in suburban Ohio, Noelle struggled to gain love and affection from her distant father. In compensating for her father’s brusqueness, Noelle idolized her nurturing tomboy mother and her conservative grandma who tried to turn her into “a little lady.” At age 14, Noelle’s mom told her the family secret straight out: “Dad likes to wear women’s clothes.”

As Noelle copes with a turbulent adolescence, further confused by the male and female role models she had as a girl, her father begins to metamorphose into the loving parent she had always longed for—only now outfitted in pedal pushers and pink lipstick. Could becoming a woman make her father a completely different person? With edgy humor, courage, and remarkable sensitivity, Noelle Howey challenges all of our beliefs in what constitutes gender and a “normal” family.

ADULT NON-FICTION - by Noelle Howey

Daniel

2011-01-24T11:17:00.001-08:00

Daniel -

In the 1870s, Hans Bengler arrives in Cape Town from Sweden, driven by a singular desire: to discover an insect no one has seen before and name it after himself. But then he impulsively adopts a young San orphan, a boy he christens Daniel and brings with him back to Sweden--a quite different specimen than he first contemplated. Daniel is told to call Bengler "Father," taught to knock on doors and bow, and continually struggles to understand this strange new land of mud and snow that surrounds and seemingly entraps him. At the same time, he is haunted by visions of his murdered parents calling him home to Africa. Knowing that the only way home is by sea, he decides he must learn to walk on water if he is ever to reclaim his true place in the world.

ADULT FICTION - by Henning Mankell

Silicon Valley Reads

2011-01-20T08:53:00.000-08:00

9th Annual Silicon Valley Reads 2011 -

Read the book everyone will be talking about: "The Year of Fog" by Michelle Richmond. Free events throughout Santa Clara County - January - April. Presented by the San Jose Public Library Foundation, the Santa Clara County Library, and the Santa Clara County Office of Education.

Silicon Valley Reads

Training Center CLOSED Hours

2011-01-08T16:11:00.000-08:00

The Training Center will be CLOSED for classes:

Thursday, January 27 from 10am - 6pm.

Tuesdays, January 18 - February 22 from 6pm - 8:30pm.

The Creative Life

2010-11-08T16:38:00.000-08:00

The Creative Life - True Tales of Inspiration

Outlines a lifestyle plan that is intrinsically creative, explaining how to tap one's artistic instincts in order to reach specific goals, in an anecdotal reference that also reveals how to draw strength and inspiration from quiet moments.

ADULT NON-FICTION - by Julia Cameron

Don't Cry

2010-11-08T16:31:00.000-08:00

Don't Cry -

When a recent spate of horrific murders is linked to a long-ago series of brutal crimes she hoped would never resurface, Chattanooga grief counselor Audrey Sherrod, who moonlights for the local police, soon discovers that the worst is yet to come.

ADULT MYSTERY FICTION - by Beverly Barton

The Last Narco

2010-10-22T16:40:00.000-07:00

The Last Narco - Inside the Hunt for El Chapo, the World's Most Wanted Drug Lord

A courageous young journalist takes his readers deep inside the hunt for the most powerful, feared, and charismatic drug lord in the world---Mexico's Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman---and tells the full story of the drug trade over the past thirty years.

ADULT NON-FICTION - by Malcolm Beith

Mini Shopaholic

2010-10-22T16:17:00.000-07:00

Mini Shopaholic -

Nothing comes between Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood) and her bargains. Neither act of God nor budget crunch can shatter her dreams of wall-to-wall Prada. Every milestone in her well-shopped life (travel, long-lost sister, marriage, pregnancy) inspires new vistas to explore in the name of retail therapy. But now Becky faces her greatest little challenge yet: her two-year-old daughter, Minnie.

ADULT FICTION - by Sophie Kinsella

Eldercare

2010-10-07T15:28:00.000-07:00

Eldercare - How to Talk to Your Parents About Their Future

Adult children often struggle to start a conversation about their
parents’ future. Join local senior-care specialist Michelle Rogers
for a free discussion of these important topics:

- How to start a discussion with your parents
- How to discuss money matters
- When to talk about driving
- Is it dementia or just a “senior moment”
- How to communicate with siblings

Saturday, November 6, 1:00 pm
Mountain View Public Library Community Room

The Viognier Vendetta

2010-10-01T11:07:00.000-07:00

The Viognier Vendetta - A Wine Country Mystery -

When Lucie Montgomery visits Washington, D.C., she doesn't expect her reunion with old friend Rebecca Natale is a setup. But Rebecca disappears into thin air after running an errand for her boss, billionaire philanthropist and investment guru Sir Thomas Asher. Also missing: an antique silver wine cooler looted by British soldiers before they burned the White House during the War of 1812.

ADULT MYSTERY FICTION - by Joanna Bourne

Sonia Sotomayor

2010-09-21T11:26:00.000-07:00

Sonia Sotomayor - The True American Dream

The definitive biography of the first Latina and third woman ever appointed to the Supreme Court from the biographer of Condoleeza Rice and Laura Bush. The author delves behind the headlines to tell the compelling story of how the daughter of Puerto Rican immigrants living in the South Bronx became one of the greatest legal minds in the country. With insight and thoughtful analysis, she explores the tenacity that makes Sotomayor a sharp, fearless judge; the sense of compassion that drives her to seek justice for the underprivileged; and her strong community ties, which never let her forget where she came from. Drawing on candid interviews with figures from Sotomayor's personal and professional life as well as speeches, interviews with Sotomayor, and published papers, the author paints a revealing portrait of the woman who would come to meet President Obama's rigorous criteria for a Supreme Court justice and whose appointment would make history.

ADULT NONFICTION BIOGRAPHY - by Antonia Felix

Four Truths and a Lie

2010-09-15T15:03:00.000-07:00

Four Truths and a Lie -

Scarlett hates everything about her new all-girl school, but when she receives a strange letter that contains four truths and a lie and hints at a secret she is hiding, she soon realizes that this new school will not be dull.

TEEN FICTION - by Lauren Barnholdt

The Great Alaska Adventure!

2010-09-14T10:11:00.000-07:00

The Great Alaska Adventure! -

During a week-long trip to Alaska with his scientist-parents and younger sister, nine-year-old Benjamin observes the effects of climate change in preparation for writing a research paper for school.

CHILDREN'S FICTION - by Jeff Corwin

Marathon

2010-09-14T09:56:00.000-07:00

Marathon - How One Battle Changed Western Civilization

The consequences of the famous Battle of Marathon. Traces the decisive military confrontation between Greek and Persian forces that led to an unexpected victory for the Greeks and the establishment of Greek cultural practices that became the basis for much of Western civilization.

ADULT NONFICTION - by Richard A. Billows

Maybe This Time

2010-09-13T14:53:00.000-07:00

Maybe This Time -

North Archer, Andie Miller's ex-husband, asks her to become the guardian of two orphans who have driven out three nannies already--and live in a haunted house! What follows is a hilarious adventure in exorcism, including a self-doubting parapsychologist, an annoyed medium, her Tarot-card reading mother, an avenging ex-mother-in-law, and, of course, her jealous fiancé. And just when Andie thinks things couldn't get more complicated, North shows up on the doorstep making her wonder if "maybe this time" things could be different between them.

ADULT FICTION - by Jennifer Cruisie

The Lost Art of Real Cooking

2010-09-01T11:50:00.002-07:00

The Lost Art of Real Cooking: Rediscovering the Pleasures of Traditional Food, One Recipe at a Time -

"An introduction to the antiquated kitchen, or cookery made difficult and inconvenient being foremost a pleasant discourse on the nature and execution of arcane and dangerous culinary practices especially designed for patient, discerning individuals who appreciate superior homemade food and those who will not balk at devoting many laborious hours to the kitchen."

ADULT NONFICTION - by Ken Albala

The Forbidden Rose

2010-09-01T11:42:00.000-07:00

The Forbidden Rose -

A glittering French aristocrat is on the run, disguised as a British governess. England's top spy has a score to settle with her family. But as they're drawn inexorably into the intrigue and madness of Revolutionary Paris, they gamble on a love to which neither of them will admit.

ADULT FICTION - by Joanna Bourne